To date, about 49 percent of the total employed Filipino population belongs to the informal sector, a very crude estimate sifted from labor force survey data covering non-wage workers, unpaid family workers and own-account workers. From a keen observer of day-to-day realities, however, there can only be more.

In attempts to understand the dynamics of the informal sector, several descriptive definitions have surfaced, the most simple of which is that of the International Labour Organisation (ILO): “…consists of small-scale, self-employed activities (with or without hired workers), typically at low level of organization and technology with the primary objective of generating employment and incomes.” More importantly though, studies have asserted the significant role that the sector plays in the economy. There are indications showing that during economic lows, the sector absorbs most of the labor force that are either displaced, are looking for jobs or are employed yet seeking additional income.

Why sector remains hardly visible, thus limiting policy options to address its special concerns, is the very nature by which the economic activities within it are being carried out – mostly covert, unregulated and outside the coverage of law. The activities are also being performed in a very wide range of arrangements, either in the production of goods or in the provision of services. Some are visible in makeshift workplaces, while others have no permanent  stations; some have workers that receive definite wages while others have none; and still others require a number of manpower, as others do not need workers except its operator.

Although a few of the informals can works within comfortable environments, most are not as fortunate. Earlier documentation describe terms and conditions of work that are deplorable and hazardous. In order to come up with programs that are both responsive and sustainable, there appears a need for a clearer understanding of the terms, conditions of work and occupational health and safety of the workers in the sector. Considering all these factors it becomes imperative to undertake further studies that can fill the details of previous documentation activities, done under the broad heading of informal sector in the Philippines.

As a response, the Institute for labor Studies (ILS), in tandem with the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), formed several research teams that studied, monitored, and interacted with workers and employers of four informal work groups – the battery recyclers of Navotas and Pasay; the metal fabricators of Manila; the sugarcane harvesters of Pura, Tarlac; and the woodworkers of Betis, Guagua, Pampanga. The completion of the studies have been facilitated by the funding assistance and research guidance extended by the ILO.

Logistical nuances notwithstanding, the case studies took home stories about common laborers in metropolitan areas and in the countryside – their work routines and the probable corresponding costs in their productivity, their awareness on hazards at work, and the coping mechanisms they use to mitigate productivity loss. Albeit selected, sub-sectors in the study documented specific issues that call for policy attention, both immediate and long-term, as well as interventions that need to be implemented either locally or at a wider ‘industry’ latitude.

It is in this context, therefore, that we set our sights toward improving the working conditions and occupational health and safety for our workers in the informal sector.